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Introducing the SupaRetroN HD: Hyperkin’s latest console not only sports a classic retro look – it’s packed with tech to make playing your favourite SNES games more enjoyable than ever!

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was the best-selling console of the 16-bit era and when you’re looking for the reason why, you don’t need to look very far beyond an extensive library of thrilling games.

Hyperkin’s SupaRetroN HD is a new console dedicated to taking those games to the next level via top quality hardware and a vibrant HD output. Dust off those cartridges and feel the exhilaration of Nintendo’s greatest hits once again – it’s never been easier or more worthwhile!

Tech that loves your cartridges as much as you do.

Hyperkin knows how much time, money and effort retro gamers put into building their game collection. The SupaRetroN HD has been built in a way that looks after your favourite SNES cartridges, while making the games themselves visually stunning.

Central to this philosophy is new Pin Perfect™ technology. These new state-of-the-art pins have been engineered in-house by Hyperkin and maintain perfect pin contact, even if you bump or shake the cartridge! The presence of these high quality pins alongside a special cartridge eject button means you can swap cartridges with confidence all day long.

Once slotted in, the SupaRetroN HD’s HD output will display your games with incredible clarity – letting you experience those great SNES titles like never before.

Berlin-based app mobile measurement company Adjust today published the results of its annual benchmark report for 2017.

The data from the report was taken between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017, tracking 11,000 apps, with 10.7 billion installs and 1.29 trillion events analyzed across the world. Deeper coverage of countries included China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Turkey, UK and the US.

The benchmark report provides detailed insight into the app market and app user behaviour, providing in-depth monthly analysis of user engagement, retention, sessions and fraud by country and app vertical.

How the world engages with apps – WeChat dominates in China
Compared to 2016, retention rates and engagement in 2017 were much higher. However, the current Adjust benchmark report shows that app developers still face big challenges when it comes to retaining users. By day 14 after the download, only 13% of app users return. Retention on iOS is consistently higher than on Android, but only by 1-3%.

By country, Japanese users have the highest retention rates of all: consistently around 3% above average. Meanwhile, Chinese users are the hardest to keep. After day one, 80% have left an app, and by day seven only 7% continue to use one at all. This can partially be explained by the dominance of WeChat, and the lower likelihood of Chinese users leaving the platform for other apps.

Entertainment and Gaming apps keep their users well engaged. By day 30, Entertainment apps see the highest retention rates. Meanwhile, Travel apps have trouble keeping their users on board, with only a 7% retention rate by day 12, explained by the cyclical nature of travel booking.

The report also looks at elite retention, covering the highest performing apps in their own cohort. Retention of Utilities performs best of all, with 44% retention on day one (near half of the initial user base). By day 30, almost a third of users are still around. Business apps perform second best, and great Games perform similarly on day one, though by day seven there’s a 5% difference between the three verticals.

Monetizing Apps – Fight of the platforms
The mobile app market continues to be highly lucrative. In 2017, 2 million apps were released in both stores, and worldwide mobile ad spending increased 33.6% up to $142 billion[1], with $17 billion being spent on performance ads. Google and Facebook drive half of all attribution, and Google’s vast network seems to be slightly the better option to reach and engage users.

However, user engagement increased over time, regardless of source, by approximately 2.5 sessions per day. Utility apps are used the most, with 3 sessions per day. This is followed by Games and Entertainment apps with 2.5 sessions per day. E-commerce, Business & Travel apps range from 1.5 to 2 sessions per day.

In the first week after install, Android sees more events. But over a month, iOS far surpasses it’s rival, with between seven and eight events per day. By day 19, users perform one less event on Android than on Apple. By global comparison, the US seems to be in the lead, when it comes to a number of events. The US triggers around two more events per day than China or Russia.

Mobile Ad Fraud – Android suffers the most
Every vertical, country and network was affected by mobile ad fraud in some way in 2017. By vertical, Games are the most affected, over a third of fraud stopped by Adjust (per vertical) was targeting gaming apps. This is partially due to gaming apps spending more on mobile marketing than any other. Also, it’s not just those after ad spend who defraud Games, but users too.

Beyond the collection of ‘other’ categories, E-commerce applications feature a high distribution of mobile app fraud, about 20% of Adjust’s dataset.

While no device is immune to fraud, it is telling that around twice as much of it occurs on Android. There are a few reasons to explain this, from the ease of which Android devices can be jailbroken to the sheer amount of Android devices sold vs. Apple’s. However, Adjust’s Fraud Specialist, Andreas Naumann, believes “click injection” to be the main reason for this trend. This type of fraud is a sophisticated form of click-spamming which only affects Android devices.

London Games Festival 2018 will launch a new exhibition of work by UK games creatives from BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds this April.

Ensemble highlights the significant contribution BAME creatives have made to the UK’s games culture at every level, focusing on up to eight artists and delving into their work.

Ensemble aims to inspire the next generation of game developers from all backgrounds, offering a fresh angle on game development as a creative process. It will also showcase how diverse talents and perspectives are vital for building more diverse digital worlds and creating the games of the future.

The London Games Festival has enlisted Sharna Jackson to curate Ensemble. Jackson has a wealth of experience in digital initiatives within arts and cult and has held roles at Tate, Design Museum, The Broad in LA and the Royal Collection Trust and consulted for National Maritime Museum, Museum of Childhood, V&A and Science Museum. She is a trustee at Sheffield Doc/Fest, New Writing North and Upswing, and a non-exec director at Bright Little Labs.

“Important work is being created by minorities, and it’s imperative to highlight these achievements – especially in this climate – and to encourage and support the next generation of talent as they emerge. The show foregrounds the importance of a diverse industry, by demonstrating its significance in the creation of rich and intoxicating worlds and experiences for everyone,” Jackson says.

Ensemble is supported by the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.

Ensemble will be unveiled during the larger London Games Festival 2018, which runs from 5-15 April 2018 across the capital, before touring key games clusters in the UK. This includes two days at LGF’s HUB event in Bloomsbury on 9 & 10 April, and other activity to be announced.

The London Games Festival is organised by Games London, a partnership between the capital’s screen industries agency Film London and games trade body Ukie, supported by the Mayor of London’s London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP).

If you are interested in submitting your own work for the exhibition – or want to put forward someone for consideration – contact sharna.jackson@games.london or @sharnajackson on Twitter. The deadline for all recommendations and entries is March 6 – more information at www.games.londo ensemble.e.

For more information on the London Games Festival visit www.games.london . Follow @londongamesfest on Twitter or Instagram for more updates.

SEGA Holdings Co., Ltd. today announced that SEGA of America, Inc., has reached a final agreement with Paramount Pictures to co-produce a Sonic the Hedgehog feature film, set for theatrical release beginning in the United States on November 15, 2019, then rolling out internationally to markets around the world.

This move represents an important next-step in the expansion of the Sonic the Hedgehog IP, bringing the character to new audiences globally. As part of the IP strategy for Sonic the Hedgehog, SEGA Group has been working to expand this character beyond the video game market to become an entertainment franchise. Recently, Sonic has appeared as an animated character on television, consumer products, console and mobile games, and more.

“I am very honored that our companies, SEGA and MARZA, have this incredible opportunity to partner with Paramount Pictures for this production, which will bring Sonic to the big screen for the first time. Since he was first introduced to the world 26 years ago, Sonic has continued to grow in popularity as part of our core strategy to focus on video games. In addition to video games, this provides SEGA with a fantastic opportunity to share Sonic with everyone and we can’t wait to reveal more to eager audiences in the future,” said SEGA Holdings Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Haruki Satomi.

Paramount Pictures will work closely with SEGA of America to bring Sonic to the big screen, said Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures.

“We are incredibly excited to work with SEGA to bring this iconic property and character to audiences around the world,” said Gianopulos. “We look forward to our partnership on this great venture.”

Planned for a worldwide release showcasing both live-action and CG animation elements, the feature film will be the first time Sonic has been adapted for the big screen. Developing the project since its inception as a producer as well as a production house, MARZA Animation Planet Co., Ltd., owned by SEGA Group, will be joined by an assembly of high-profile talent.

The film has signed on notable industry veterans including:

Producer Neal H. Moritz from Original Film Inc. (“Fast and Furious” series)

Executive producer Tim Miller (director of the Marvel/Fox feature “Deadpool” and owner of animation and CG production company Blur Studio)

“I’m thrilled to be partnered with SEGA and to have such an incredible and supportive home for Sonic with Jim and Paramount,” said Moritz.

Sonic the Hedgehog was first seen in 1991 on the SEGA Genesis. Since then, the character was inducted into the “World Video Game Hall of Fame” in 2016 at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. Most recently, the popular franchise has seen two new hit releases in 2017, Sonic Mania™ and Sonic Forces™ (PlayStation® 4, Nintendo Switch™, Xbox One™, PC). Total sales of the series including both packaged and digital downloads count over 360 million units.

Outplay Entertainment, the UK’s largest independent mobile games studio, has unveiled a transformative rebrand.

Through partnering with multi-discipline design agency JDO, new positioning around the concept of ‘limitless fun’ has been devised, along with a new logo and identity.

This follows a hugely successful 2017, and a year of rapid growth, where the studio reported 1,904% revenue growth since 2013. It ranked 61st as part of the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 – a league table of the fastest-growing technology companies in EMEA, while also placing 11th in the UK Fast 50, and first in Scotland. Topping this off was The Sunday Times Tech Track 100, where Outplay Entertainment ranked 13th nationally.

Richard Hare, President of Outplay Entertainment, comments “Our new visual identity captures the spirit of the business and is uplifting, approachable and authentic. It also guarantees heightened visibility to ensure we continue to thrive in an ever-evolving games industry. From the very start, our goal for Outplay Entertainment was to be associated with fun – and fun is different for every single one of us. Our focus going into 2018 and beyond, is to better understand what this means for all of our players globally. We want gamers to recognise our brand, our titles, and feel connected with our studio.”

On the partnership, Pippa Knight, Head of Strategy at JDO, comments “The key to creating a successful strategy for Outplay Entertainment has been to define the creativity, energy and expertise that will resonate powerfully within the corporate and consumer worlds. The concept we created together – ‘limitless fun’ – is a truth that has inspired the business since inception, and was a natural choice to capture the brand’s core idea. It conveys diversity, inclusivity and has an unstoppable momentum which positions the brand perfectly to inspire continuing progress and success.”

There’s just one week to go before gamers across the UK join forces to raise money for SpecialEffect in GameBlast18, the UK’s biggest charity gaming weekend.

Hundreds of gamers, including eSports teams, streamers, and community groups, will take to their PCs and consoles throughout the weekend of 23-25 February to host sponsored marathon livestreams, gaming tournaments and many other challenges in support of the charity, which enables anyone, whatever their physical disability, to enjoy video games and leisure technology.

Now in its fifth year, the event aims to raise £100,000 for SpecialEffect.

Many major names in the games industry are also backing the event, including Jagex, GAME, Multiplay, Twitch, Insert Coin, SEGA, Nomad, Lockwood Publishing and Ukie. So far, almost 300 Justgiving fundraising pages have been created, meaning this year’s GameBlast is set to have the highest number of participants in its five-year history.

Jagex will be hosting the GameBlast Games – a 24-hour marathon of gaming, chaos and gruelling challenges. Broadcast live from their Cambridge headquarters and beginning 12pm GMT on Friday 23 February, the event will be streamed via the official RuneScape twitch.tv channel. The stream will feature regular faces from Jagex, the RuneScape and Old School dev teams, along with Twitch content creators and friends from the industry – including Codemasters and Frontier Developments – who will all go head to head in the ultimate games battle.

As Jagex clock-off at 12pm GMT on Saturday 24, staff from GAME and Multiplay Events will take up the baton with their own marathon broadcast, promising another 24 hours of gaming challenges and stretch-goal forfeits. GAME stores and BELONG arenas across the country will be hosting their own GameBlast activities, with raffles, tournaments and eSports tournaments on offer to gamers throughout the weekend. Meanwhile, GAME’s charity trade-in offer will continue until the end of the month, with customers being given the opportunity to donate £1 or more from every trade-in to SpecialEffect.

In addition, both Jagex and GAME will be running eBay auctions of gaming swag, merchandise and experiences.

“I love seeing the variety of challenges on offer – the creativity and generosity of our supporters is just so inspiring! The funds raised will enable us to help more like Will (http://bit.ly/willspecialeffect), who suffered a spinal injury but who’s gaming again using shoulder and chin movements.”

“GameBlast18 is an opportunity to bring the gaming community together to do what they love and level the playing field for people with disabilities at the same time.”

Double Fine’s Tim Schafer is heading to EGX Rezzed where he’ll chat with Eurogamer.net editor Oli Welsh about his 30 year career in games.

Beginning his career in the late eighties with Lucasarts, Tim made key contributions to a number of hugely influential adventure games including the Monkey Island series, Full Throttle and Grim Fandago.

In 2000 Tim founded Double Fine Productions, a development studio and publisher that has played a role in releasing more than 30 games across multiple formats. Notable projects include the critically acclaimed Psychonauts, Brütal Legend starring Jack Black and remastered versions of several classic Lucasarts titles. The studio is currently working on a sequel to Psychonauts.

EGX Rezzed attendees will be able to watch Tim interviewed on-stage by Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh at 12pm (BST) on Friday 13th April. The session will be live streamed on Twitch and available to watch later on the EGX YouTube channel.

There will be opportunities to take part in meet and greet sessions with Tim across all three days of this year’s event and attendees will also be able to get hands-on with three Double Fine Presents games – life sim Ooblets, hand-painted adventure Knights and Bikes and Gang Beasts, the silly multiplayer party game.

EGX Rezzed is London’s biggest games event, featuring hundreds of playable games with a strong focus on PC and indie titles as well as talks by well known game creators, a career fair offering advice on getting a job in games, board games and more. Tickets are available here.

Ubisoft announced the content of the Far Cry® 5 Season Pass, available as part of the Far Cry 5 Gold Edition or as an add-on purchase on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and PC.

Following the launch of Far Cry 5 on March 27th, the season pass will take players on three uncanny adventures with a unique Far Cry twist.

Hours of Darkness: Players will travel back in time to Vietnam to battle against Việt Cộng soldiers

Dead Living Zombies: Players will face hordes of zombies in multiple b-movie scenarios

Lost on Mars: Players will leave Earth behind to go toe-to-claws with Martian arachnids

Additionally, all Far Cry 5 Season Pass owners playing on consoles will receive the single-player content from another critically-acclaimed Far Cry series entry with the Far Cry® 3 Classic Edition, which will be available to season pass holders four weeks prior to launching as a standalone purchase in summer 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Far Cry 3® Classic Edition will let fans and newcomers to the series revisit Rook Island and encounter one of the franchise’s most notorious villains, Vaas, who is brought to life by Michael Mando. As Jason Brody, players must explore the tropical island to find and save his friends, who are being held captive. PC players who purchase the season pass or Far Cry 5 Gold Edition will receive the full version of Far Cry® 3.

More details on post-launch support for Far Cry 5, including an overview of the three adventures as well as the return of the map editor will be shared at a later date.

Set in America, a first for the franchise, Far Cry 5 offers players total freedom to navigate a serene-looking yet deeply twisted world as the new junior deputy of fictional Hope County, Montana. Players will find that their arrival accelerates a years-long silent coup by a fanatical doomsday cult, the Project at Eden’s Gate, igniting a violent takeover of the county. Under siege and cut off from the rest of the world, players will join forces with residents of Hope County and form the Resistance.

For more information about Far Cry 5, please visit farcry.com
For the latest on Far Cry 5 and other Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com.

A stunning nature documentary-inspired short has been released to celebrate the next wave of Pokémon appearing in Pokémon™ GO (Yes it’s still active!)

From the bright peaks of snowy mountains, to the shadows of the forests, to the bustling city and down into the dark of the oceans around the world, the video pays homage to world renowned nature documentaries as it gradually reveals a variety of Pokémon in their real-world natural habitats—bringing augmented reality one step closer to life.

The animated short is so realistic, viewers may not immediately realise what they’re watching, with the shadows and footprints of the latest Pokémon™ GO characters creating a hyper realistic viewing experience.

The video is narrated by national treasure Stephen Fry with his dulcet tones complementing an original symphonic score by legendary nature documentary composer George Fenton.

This is the third wave of Pokémon to be released for Pokémon™ GO following the game’s hugely successful launch in 2016. Each selection of Pokémon initially appeared in different versions of main series Pokémon games; this latest release includes Pokémon from the games Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire.

The video features some of the newest creatures debuting in Pokémon™ GO, that include cute cheerleader pair Plusle and Minun in a forest along with Mawile and the Bug- and Flying-type Pokémon Masquerain.

In the oceans, a huge underwater Wailord makes a big splash, as well as a school of Luvdisc—a heart-shaped and water-dwelling Pokémon—under the shadow of a looming threat as they are passed by a Sharpedo. There are also appearances from the amphibious Mudkip playing in a pool, cold-loving Snorunt on a high mountain and a cityscape with the elegant Pokémon Delcatty.

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